The Melody Top
The Melody Top Theatre was a musical theatre located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and featured performances in the round. The theatre that was originally built as a circus-style tent is now defunct.
History[edit]
The Melody Top was built in 1962. It was only operational during the summers beginning in 1963.[1] The theatre was modeled after the identical Melody Top in Chicago.[2] The large venue lasted until 1986. The theatre was originally built in the form of a giant, circus-style tent. It was located on W Good Hope Road, just east of N 76th St in Milwaukee.[3] Later, the architecture of the venue comprised a wooden dome.[3] The Milwaukee Melody Top was affiliated with a second Melody Top located in Hillside, Illinois.[4]
The Melody Top hosted "...Broadway quality presentations of big scale musical hits..."[5] The theatre hosted celebrities such as Leonard Nimoy in Oliver!; Betty White in My Fair Lady; and Christopher Walken in West Side Story.[3]
Productions[edit]
1963[edit]
- Guys and Dolls - starring Gordon and Sheila MacRae
- The Music Man - starring Forrest Tucker
- The Unsinkable Molly Brown - starring Jaye P. Morgan
- The Vagabond King - starring Earl Wrightson and Lois Hunt
- Bye Bye Birdie - starring Van Johnson
- Brigadoon - starring Dennis Day and McLean Stevenson
1964[edit]
- Kiss Me, Kate - starring Howard Keel
- Gentlemen Prefer Blondes - starring Betty Hutton
- Wildcat - starring Martha Raye
- Roberta - starring Edward Everett Horton
- Little Me - starring Gabriel Dell and Karen Morrow
- Mr. President - starring Bert Parks
- The Pajama Game - starring Phil Ford and Mimi Hines
1965[edit]
- West Side Story - starring Anna Maria Alberghetti and Christopher Walken
- South Pacific - starring Betty White and Gene Hollmann
- Bells Are Ringing - starring Phil Ford and Mimi Hines
- My Fair Lady - starring Michael Allinson and Barbara Williams
- Annie Get Your Gun - starring Jaye P. Morgan and Gary Mann
- The Sound of Music - starring Janet Blair and John Myhers
- Camelot - starring Earl Wrightson and Lois Hunt
1966[edit]
- The King and I - starring Gisele MacKenzie
- Can-Can - starring Monique van Vooren
- Gypsy - starring Janis Paige
- Flower Drum Song - starring Chita Rivera
- Milk and Honey - starring Molly Picon
- Call Me Madam - starring Margaret Whiting and Tommy Sands
- How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying - starring Robert Q. Lewis and Karen Morrow
1967[edit]
- Sweet Charity - starring Gretchen Wyler
- Lady in the Dark - starring Patrice Munsel
- High Button Shoes - starring Margaret Whiting and Gabriel Dell
- Silk Stockings - starring Earl Wrightson and Lois Hunt
- The Boy Friend - starring Jane Powell
- On a Clear Day You Can See Forever - starring Forrest Tucker
- Carousel - starring John Raitt
1968[edit]
- Irma la Douce - starring Chita Rivera
- Fanny - starring Anna Maria Alberghetti
- Where's Charley? - starring Gabriel Dell and Eileen Brennan
- Take Me Along - starring Robert Q. Lewis
- Pal Joey - starring Margaret Whiting
- The Desert Song - starring Anne Jeffreys and Bill Hayes
- Of Thee I Sing - starring Hal March and Jack Bailey
1969[edit]
- The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd - starring Phil Ford and Mimi Hines
- Carnival! - starring Jean-Pierre Aumont and Marisa Pavan
- Paint Your Wagon - starring Earl Wrightson
- Anything Goes - starring Gretchen Wyler
- The Most Happy Fella - starring Anna Maria Alberghetti and Edwin Steffe
- Song of Norway - starring Anne Jeffreys and Bill Hayes
- Oklahoma! - starring John Raitt
1970[edit]
- I Do! I Do! - starring Earl Wrightson and Lois Hunt
- Mame - starring Kaye Stevens
- Cabaret - starring Imogene Coca, Tommy Tune and King Donovan
- How Now, Dow Jones - starring Robert Q. Lewis and Selma Diamond
- Li'l Abner - starring Peter Palmer and Joy Garrett
- Funny Girl - starring Jaye P. Morgan
- Show Boat - starring Ann Blyth
1971[edit]
- Hello, Dolly! - starring Dorothy Lamour and Jack Bailey
- Fiddler on the Roof - starring Earl Wrightson and Lois Hunt
- George M! - starring Michael Callan
- Damn Yankees - starring Van Johnson
- Meet Me In St. Louis - starring Jane Powell
- Plain and Fancy - starring Margaret Whiting and Carl Betz
- Kismet - starring John Raitt
1972[edit]
- The Sound of Music - starring Ann Blyth
- Kiss Me, Kate - starring Earl Wrightson and Lois Hunt
- 1776 - starring John Raitt and Stubby Kaye
- Little Me - starring Arte Johnson and Karen Morrow
- Oliver! - starring Leonard Nimoy
- Company - starring Gretchen Wyler and Ed Evanko
- Man of La Mancha - starring Earl Wrightson
1973[edit]
- West Side Story - starring James Darren
- South Pacific - starring Ann Blyth
- Applause - starring Gretchen Wyler
- Wonderful Town - starring Sheila MacRae
- Promises, Promises - starring Orson Bean
- Brigadoon - starring Jane Powell
- The Music Man - starring Van Johnson
1974[edit]
- No, No, Nanette - starring Penny Singleton and Arthur Lake
- Finian's Rainbow - starring Arte Johnson
- Gigi - starring Earl Wrightson and Lois Hunt
- Guys and Dolls - starring George Chakiris and Rita Moreno
- Once Upon A Mattress - starring Jo Anne Worley
- Sugar - starring Orson Bean
- The King and I - starring Leonard Nimoy and Anne Jeffreys
1975[edit]
- Good News - starring Dorothy Collins and Carl Betz
- Annie Get Your Gun - starring John Raitt and Karen Morrow
- Bitter Sweet - starring Ann Blyth
- Zorba - starring Giorgio Tozzi
- The Unsinkable Molly Brown - starring Mimi Hines and Peter Palmer
- Gypsy - starring Margaret Whiting, Dave Madden and Linda Kaye Henning
- Camelot - starring Ed Ames
1976[edit]
- A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum - starring Arte Johnson and Dave Madden
- 1776 - starring Ross Martin and Stubby Kaye
- My Fair Lady - starring Leonard Nimoy
- Bells Are Ringing - starring Rita Moreno and Tab Hunter
- A Little Night Music - starring Earl Wrightson and Lois Hunt
- Shenandoah - starring John Raitt
- Irene - starring Jane Powell
1977[edit]
- Bye Bye Birdie - starring Lucie Arnaz and Michael Callan
- How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying - starring Van Johnson
- The Merry Widow - starring Richard Fredricks and Linda Michele
- Follies- starring Dorothy Collins and Anne Jeffreys
- The Wizard of Oz - starring Stubby Kaye and Nancy Kulp
- The Pajama Game - starring Ruta Lee, Don Stewart and Alan Sues
- Fiddler on the Roof - starring Giorgio Tozzi
1978[edit]
- The Sound of Music - starring Anna Maria Alberghetti
- Peter Pan - starring Nancy Dussault and Alan Sues
- High Button Shoes - starring Monty Hall and Anne Jeffreys
- On a Clear Day You Can See Forever - starring Gene Barry and Joy Garrett
- Anything Goes - starring Jo Anne Worley
- Pippin - starring Barry Williams
- Man of La Mancha - starring John Raitt
1979[edit]
- Mame - starring Gretchen Wyler
- Paint Your Wagon - starring Howard Keel
- A Connecticut Yankee - starring Earl Wrightson and Lois Hunt
- The Boy Friend - starring Vivian Blaine and Don Grady
- Call Me Madam - starring Nanette Fabray
- Lullaby of Broadway - starring Johnny Desmond
- Show Boat - starring Margaret Hamilton and Ed Herlihy
1980[edit]
- The Wiz - starring Irene Cara and Ira Hawkins
- Where's Charley? - starring Eddie Mekka and Kitty Carlisle
- Chicago - starring Robert Mandan
- Hello, Dolly! - starring Jo Anne Worley
- South Pacific - starring Giorgio Tozzi
- Can-Can - starring Sue Ane Langdon and John Phillip Law
- The Student Prince - starring Jack Gilford
- Grease - starring Barry Williams
1981[edit]
- The Music Man - starring Orson Bean
- Camelot - starring Anna Maria Alberghetti
- The Unsinkable Molly Brown - starring Jane Powell
- Funny Girl - starring Mimi Hines and George Chakiris
- Oklahoma! - starring Barry Williams
- Cabaret - starring Jacqueline Schultz and Louisa Flaningam
- Shenandoah - starring Giorgio Tozzi
- The Debbie Reynolds Show - starring Debbie Reynolds
1982[edit]
- Guys and Dolls - starring Johnny Desmond, Sue Ane Langdon and Stubby Kaye
- West Side Story - starring Barry Williams
- Meet Me In St. Louis - starring Andrea McArdle
- Fiddler on the Roof - starring Tom Poston
- The Pirates of Penzance - starring Doug Sheehan
- Fanny - starring John Raitt
- Annie Get Your Gun - starring Jo Anne Worley
1983[edit]
- Barnum - starring Larry Kert
- Annie - starring Peggy Cass
- George M! - starring Eddie Mekka
- Promises, Promises - starring Desi Arnaz Jr.
- Little Me - starring Arte Johnson and Penny Singleton
- Seven Brides for Seven Brothers - starring Jason Kincaid
- They're Playing Our Song - starring Robert Walden
1984[edit]
- Gypsy - starring Jo Anne Worley
- Oliver! - starring Bill and Susan Seaforth Hayes
- Show Boat - starring Eddie Bracken, Stephen Lehew, Marcia King and Robert Mosley
- Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat - starring Christopher Durham
- My Fair Lady - starring Noel Harrison and Christine Ebersole
- Bye Bye Birdie - starring Barry Williams
- The Sound of Music - starring Tovah Feldshuh
- The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas - starring Fannie Flagg
1985[edit]
- Pump Boys and Dinettes - starring Misty Rowe and Tom Nielsen
- A Chorus Line - no featured performers
- South Pacific - starring Mary Cadorette and David Holliday
- Jesus Christ Superstar - starring Peter Reckell
- The Wizard of Oz - starring Andrea McArdle
- The Desert Song - starring Stephen Lehew and Mary Ernster
- Evita - starring Christine Ebersole and Iris Lieberman (matinees)
- Amadeus - starring Bill Hayes and Christopher Durham
1986[edit]
- Babes in Arms - starring Iris Lieberman
- She Loves Me - starring Mary Ernster and Norman Moses
- The 1940's Radio Hour - no featured performers
- Two by Two - starring Lawrence McCauley
- Something's Afoot - starring Mary Jo Catlett
References[edit]
- ^ "Melody Top Theatre" (PDF). Milwaukee History. Milwaukee County Historical Society. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
- ^ West, Jonathan (2009). Milwaukee's live theater. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Pub. pp. 50–56. ISBN 9780738560595. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
- ^ a b c Foran, Chris (17 August 2015). "Website celebrates memories of Milwaukee's Melody Top theater". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
- ^ Kohlhoff, Ralph Edward (1968). The Dissemination of the Dramatic Arts in the Metropolitan area of Milwaukee. Madison Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Madison. p. 266. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
- ^ "Performance Venues". UWM. Encyclopedia of Milwaukee. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
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